CookEat Recipe
Pale Ricotta and Almond Cake Diamonds
A delicate pale ricotta and almond cake baked gently over a thin water-and-flour pastry base, then chilled and cut into diamonds.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 500 g ricotta; 150 g caster sugar; 150 g blanched sweet almonds, plus 5 extra sweet almond kernels; 4 whole eggs, reserving 1 white from these eggs for grinding the almonds; 4 additional egg yolks; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 150 g plain flour for the pastry, plus about 10 g for rolling; About 75 ml water for the pastry, adjusted as needed; A pinch of salt for the pastry; 15 g plain rendered lard for greasing the tin; 5 g butter for the covering paper.
Step 2
For the thin pastry, mix 150 g flour with a pinch of salt and about 75 ml water, adding the water gradually until a smooth dough forms that can be rolled out. Knead briefly, cover and rest for about 20 minutes. This simple water-and-flour pastry contains no egg or fat.
Step 3
Separate one of the four whole eggs and reserve its white for the almonds. Finely grind all the almonds with this one white, then press the paste through a fine sieve, working through the fine solids rather than straining them away. Pass the ricotta through a sieve if lumpy, then mix it thoroughly with the almond paste.
Step 4
Lightly beat together the remaining three whole eggs, the yolk from the separated egg and the four additional yolks. Mix the sugar and vanilla into the ricotta mixture, then add the beaten eggs and combine smoothly. Do not whip egg whites separately.
Step 5
Heat the oven to 150°C. Grease a roughly 25 × 20 cm tin generously with the lard. Roll the pastry thinly, about 1–2 mm, on the lightly floured surface and line the base and low sides of the tin, trimming excess. Pour in the ricotta mixture to a depth of about 2–3 cm. Butter a sheet of baking paper with the reserved 5 g butter and place loosely over the filling, buttered side down.
Step 6
Bake gently for about 45–60 minutes, keeping the paper in place to protect the pale surface, until the filling is set and reaches at least 74°C in the centre. Avoid browning the top. Cool promptly in the shallow tin and refrigerate at 4°C or colder within 2 hours.
Step 7
Once thoroughly cold and firm, cut into diamond-shaped pieces, each retaining its thin pastry base. Serve chilled or after a short rest out of the refrigerator. Keep refrigerated and eat within 2–3 days. The base is part of the traditional presentation; diners may eat it or leave it.
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